BVI To West Coast California. Truck Or Panama Canal?

[rswanson]

Moving a 44' monohull from the BVI to West Coast California. Which makes the best sense putting it on a truck or taking it through the Panama Canal? What is the voyage like opposed to what are the economics of it?

[Cheechako]

Both are going to be tough. It's a tough long trip from Panama up the west coast. The most economical truck trip would be from Texas I suppose. Hard to say what that is going to cost. But my guess is at least $15k. I know a 30 footer from Florida was quoted as more than $11k not including yard fees etc..... and that was 6 years ago.
There are not great options.
Southern Cal or more North?

[Wrong]

For a bid to transport your boat I suggest you call Brad +17065938428. He moved my boat from Texas to California. Be advised you'll probably need to have the boat loaded in Galveston. My experience revealed although there are humongous numbers of ship yards with cranes none of them will touch a sailboat...

The only logical route between Panama and California is via Hawaii, a 5,000 n.m. trip. Then it's another 2,000 n.m. + to Ca. from Hawaii.

[TacomaSailor]

Several months ago I received multiple bids to move my 40' cutter (42' LOA) from San Diego to SW Florida. They were all very close to $10,000.

There have been several threads recently where I and others detailed the costs and time required to sail / motor from the BVI or Florida to San Diego. Expensive, time consuming, and hard work.

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by Wrong

[...]

. My experience revealed although there are humongous numbers of ship yards with cranes none of them will touch a sailboat...

[...]

.

Just curious.
Why ?
(lack of handling spreaders/ evening frame, I am not sure how these thingies are called ?)

[TacomaSailor]

"My experience revealed although there are humongous numbers of ship yards with cranes none of them will touch a sailboat..."

Did you mean the statement above to apply to just Galveston?

Southern Florida is much closer to the BVI.

Quite the opposite of my experience. I've moved or helped move boats via truck from:
Bellingham
Everett
Seattle
Tacoma
Portland
San Diego
San Carlos
La Paz
Puerto Vallarta
Punta Gorda
Fort Myers
Miami
Annapolis

and never needed more than two phone calls to find a crane to pickup a sailboat.

[autumnbreeze27]

Sailing BVI->Panama Canal is all downhill.
Panama Canal -> California is all uphill.

I vote sail, but if you have to ask, I'd say you probably don't like sailing much, so maybe trucking is a better choice?

If time is important, trucking would obviously be faster, but there's a lot to see between BVI and California.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

"My experience revealed although there are humongous numbers of ship yards with cranes none of them will touch a sailboat..."

Did you mean the statement above to apply to just Galveston?

No. Galveston is the go to place to have a boat lifted onto a trailer.

When in Orange, Texas where there are no fewer than six ship yards, not one of them would entertain lifting a 27' fiberglass sailboat. Liability. These folks are used to building and lifting tugs, barges - you name it - but a sailboat? Too flimsy...

Southern Florida is much closer to the BVI.

Yes, but in road miles is farther to California, and transporters charge by the road mile...

Quite the opposite of my experience. I've moved or helped move boats via truck from:
Bellingham
Everett
Seattle
Tacoma
Portland
San Diego
San Carlos
La Paz
Puerto Vallarta
Punta Gorda
Fort Myers
Miami
Annapolis

and never needed more than two phone calls to find a crane to pickup a sailboat.

Generally speaking there's more involved than just lifting the boat, and boat yards are geared to drop the mast and prepare the boat for transport.

Who performed this work unless the crane is in a boat yard?

[rswanson]

Northern

[TacomaSailor]

"Generally speaking there's more involved than just lifting the boat, and boat yards are geared to drop the mast and prepare the boat for transport.

Who performed this work unless the crane is in a boat yard?"

Indeed! It never occurred to me to do haul the boat out of the water, drop the mast, and put the boat on the trailer anywhere except in a boat yard.

The last time I moved my 40' boat and the last time I moved a friends 30' boat - I did all the work of getting it ready to put on the truck and getting it off the truck to put back in the water, except for hoisting the mast.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

"Generally speaking there's more involved than just lifting the boat, and boat yards are geared to drop the mast and prepare the boat for transport.

Who performed this work unless the crane is in a boat yard?"

Indeed! It never occurred to me to do haul the boat out of the water, drop the mast, and put the boat on the trailer anywhere except in a boat yard.

The last time I moved my 40' boat and the last time I moved a friends 30' boat - I did all the work of getting it ready to put on the truck and getting it off the truck to put back in the water, except for hoisting the mast.

...and never needed more than two phone calls to find a boat yard with a crane to pickup a sailboat, right?

[TacomaSailor]

Originally Posted by Wrong

...and never needed more than two phone calls to find a boat yard with a crane to pickup a sailboat, right?

Right - Maybe I have been lucky in my knowledge but I look for a big yard on the web or in the local marine yellow pages and call them about picking up the boat and stepping the mast. If the first place I call can't do it they always know the yard that can do it.

Or - call a boat hauling company and ask them who they use in the city where you want to go.

I was curious about where to launch my boat in the Ft Myers, FL area so I called the biggest yacht marina that could accommodate masts over 60'. I asked the dock master who could do the work and he gave me the names of three yards. I did all this from San Diego - 2,600 miles from Ft Myers.

[Sdwcheney]

You can also check on having it sent as deck cargo on a ship. I have seen several boats being unloaded in the BVI, but do not know were they were from. I would guess that it would be cheaper than shipping overland.

[Bikini Blues]

Our boat was moved from the Great Lakes to South Carolina overland. Because of the Beam size there was a permitting process in different states. Hire a crew that has done the route and motor/sail. Some friends recently had their boat transported from BVI to Ft Lauderdale. It went well for them.

[seasick]

I sailed from the BVI to the Columbia River a year or so ago. It was a pleasant sail to Panama and a pleasant motor up to the latitude of Alculpulco where I picked up the trades. Panama to Maui 5k miles in 39 days. Then great cruising around the islands and a three week sail back to the main land.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mGnDpkXWSL0